The present invention relates to a system for conserving a liquid substance in a flexible receptacle.
More precisely, the invention relates to a substance that is liable to degrade chemically and/or become bacteriologically contaminated on contact with ambient air. Such substances are to be found in particular in the fields of food and of pharmaceuticals.
Until now, such substances have been protected by including preservative agents therewith, which agents are generally soluble and are therefore absorbed by the consumer at the same time as said substance.
Unfortunately, such preservatives can have harmful effects on the organism, and for example they can lead to metabolic troubles.
In addition, associating a plurality of different soluble agents can lead to chemical interactions of a kind that can spoil the liquid substance (deactivate it, discolor it, . . . ) or else neutralize or attenuate the effects of the agents because of mutual incompatibilities.
An object of the present invention is to solve those technical problem in satisfactory manner.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a system for conserving a liquid substance in a flexible receptacle, said substance being liable to be degraded and/or contaminated on contact with ambient air, the system being characterized in that it comprises a solid insert whose outer envelope substantially matches the inside shape of the receptacle in which the insert is immersed at least in part, said insert providing protective treatment by making contact with said substance over a large interchange area.
In a first embodiment, the insert is elastically deformable and its volume is substantially equal to the inside volume of the receptacle.
In a second embodiment, the insert is rigid, and its volume is determined as a function of the inside volume of the receptacle in such a manner as to limit compression of the receptacle and thus limit the size of the dose of substance that can be dispensed.
According to an advantageous characteristic, the geometry of the insert is determined so as to leave at least one preferred zone for deformation of the wall of the receptacle.
In a specific variant, said preferred zone for deformation is constituted by a peripheral groove formed substantially halfway along the insert and of dimensions that are appropriate for being held in the hand.
According to another characteristic, the insert is made out of a material that, on coming into contact with the substance, presents action that is bactericidal and/or chemical, in particular antioxidant.
According to yet another characteristic, said insert is made of a porous or spongy material capable of being impregnated by the liquid substance.
Preferably, the porosity of the material constituting the insert lies in the range 40% to 60%, and its pore diameter lies in the range 5 xcexcm to 60 xcexcm.
In a first variant, said insert is made as a single piece.
In another variant, said insert is made in the form of a filling of a plurality of pieces.
Preferably, the outer envelope of the insert substantially matches the inside shape of the receptacle.
The system of the invention makes it possible to preserve the intrinsic qualities and properties of the liquid substance since there is no need to mix it with preservative agents.
The insert performs its protective treatment by coming into contact with the liquid substance. The large volume of the insert, and in particular its internal cellular structure, makes it possible to increase the interchange surface area, and consequently to increase the effectiveness and the lifetime of the protective treatment.
In addition, the insert of the invention participates in measuring out the liquid substance by forming an internal stiffener element whose capacity for deformation is less than that of the wall of the flexible receptacle.